Note: First appearance of Wonder Woman, but in her own separate story.

Villains: DOCTOR ELBA, THE LIGHTNING MAKERS

Synopsis: Starman is being welcomed to the Justice Society of America when suddenly another superhero, Dr Mid-Nite, arrives unexpectedly with his new chemical concoction – Solution K. This solution will restore the sanity of assorted witnesses to heinous crimes, witnesses driven mad by drugs devised by a mysterious villain called Dr Elba.

The men responsible for those crimes were not prosecuted because of the sudden wave of madness afflicting witnesses set to testify. Armed with Dr Mid-Nite’s Solution K the Justice Society and Dr Mid-Nite revisit the crazed and institutionalized witnesses.

Those witnesses are injected with Solution K, which restores their sanity. The JSA once again rounds up the criminals who escaped prosecution, like blackmailers, jewel thieves, racketeers, political saboteurs and thugs armed with radio-controlled lightning.

Dr Mid-Nite exposes Dr Elba as a psychiatrist who runs an insane asylum where he used inmates as guinea pigs to perfect his insanity-inducing drug. Dr Elba falls to his death fighting Mid-Nite. Dr Mid-Nite joins Starman as the newest Justice Society members.

Synopsis: Justice Society Chairman Green Lantern mentions the plight of war orphans in Europe and recommends that the JSA members combine their crime-fighting activities with fund-raising for those orphans.

The heroes spend the next several days collecting bounties on wanted criminals, selling exclusive rights to a newspaper to cover their war on a particular gang of mobsters and trying to recover a priceless Aztec treasure before it falls into the hands of a corrupt Mexican General and his troops.

In the end the JSA raises ONE … MILLION … DOLLARS … for orphans in war-torn Europe.

Synopsis: The Flash announces he is stepping down as the team’s Chairman. The Justice Society of America initiates Johnny Thunder, the Jar Jar Binks of the time, as a full member of the team. Naturally the JSA members all wind up having to bail out Johnny against the criminals he faces, yet they still welcome him to the team.

The heroes have to save Johnny from counterfeiters, bank robbers, extortionists, thieves dressed in gorilla costumes and headless zombies created by a mad scientist. (Shades of G-8 and His Battle Aces!) In the end, with all the criminals defeated, Johnny Thunder becomes a full member of the JSA. God knows why.

Synopsis: With organized crime in America on the ropes thanks to the various members of the Justice Society a mysterious masked figure called Mister X decides to fill the leadership vacuum. Organizing nationwide crime into Guilds and Unions for each type of criminal offenders Mister X plans to get “tribute” from his gangs AND to kill the entire Justice Society of America.

The JSA does battle with the Arsonists Guild, the Kidnappers Union, and so on through gangs of jewel thieves, armed robbers and con artists. The greatest threats come from a gambling syndicate using an occult relic which hassles even the Spectre and from Mister X’s use of random bombings to extort protection money from entire cities.

All the criminals are defeated and Mister X is unmasked and sent to prison.

Continuing with the Christmas Season here’s the 2nd adventure of the very FIRST superhero team in history: DC’s JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA. It’s some Kid-Friendly Holiday Fun here at Balladeer’s Blog. FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE

I will review the original issue and then detail how I would “script-doctor” the story for modern audiences.

Synopsis: Summoned to Washington, DC by FBI Director J Edgar Hoover, the Justice Society of America is told about a secret Axis organization operating inside the United States despite America still being neutral in the Second World War then raging. That secret organization – the Grey Shirts – are carrying out covert sabotage operations across the nation.

The JSA goes into action, thwarting the Grey Shirts’ villainous efforts at a munitions factory, at Oil Fields in Oklahoma, at a Top Secret Aircraft testing field and elsewhere. The entire Axis organization across America is crushed.

We live in a superhero-crazed world right now. Here at Balladeer’s Blog I’m always glad to oblige readers’ requests to throw in superhero-related posts because I have a soft spot for the subject since superhero comic books were a gateway to two of my adult passions: mythology and opera.

DC fans have complained that I pay too much attention to Marvel Comics and other comic book companies, so here is the first of my looks at DC’s biggest claim to fame – the VERY FIRST SUPERHERO TEAM EVER. Long before the Justice League came the Justice Society in 1940.

I will review the original issue AND detail how I would “script-doctor” the story for modern audiences.

Synopsis: At this very first meeting of any superteam in comic book history, the members make general introductions and each relate one of their adventures via flashback. The Red Tornado stops by for a visit.

While the meeting is going on, FBI Chief J Edgar Hoover invites the entire team to a Top Secret meeting the following Tuesday and the Justice Society of America accepts.